One of my hobbies is learning Shodo (Japanese Calligraphy) which I began when I was 6 years old.  My classes were held every Saturday after Japanese Language School at Chuo Gakuen in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The classes were taught by Madame Hiroko Ikuta and her husband, Nichiren Buddhist Minister, Rev. Kanshu Ikuta who founded the Beikoku Shodo Kenkyukai school in 1965. During my grade school and high school years, Shodo classes were a fun thing to do with friends and also a way to fulfill my mom’s hopes of having a daughter with good penmanship. 

I started taking Shodo classes again in 2018 and now have a better understanding of the Art of Shodo and its connection to Buddhism. Shodo is literally translated as the “way of writing” or the “writing path”. It has a very similar ranking system to martial arts where you can progress from 10 kyu (class or rank) to 1 kyu. Then you move on to Shodan, 1 dan, 2 dan, all the way to 6 dan.  My family and friends think it’s cool when I tell them that Shodan is like earning a Black Belt in Karate.

 In order to earn my rankings, I mail in specific, required works to the Bunka Shodo Calligraphy School in Tokyo, Japan.  The work is reviewed and graded by teachers in Japan and then the school informs my teacher if I earn the rank. I have been working my way through the kyu ranks and finally made it to the 1 kyu rank.  I began working on the Shodan ranking which requires 5 different writings, including block or print (kaisho) style, semi-cursive (gyosho) style, and cursive (sosho) style.  This past summer, I had the opportunity of visiting the Bunka Shodo Calligraphy School in Tokyo and had my work critiqued by one of the master teachers, Mrs. Sekoguchi. The kind, soft-spoken teacher gave me lots of tips to improve my writing.

One of my goals in Shodo, has been to earn that “Black Belt” rank.  I worked quickly through my kyu rankings, had a slight pause during the COVID-19 pandemic and picked up the pace again when we started having classes regularly again.  To me, the shodan rank is like the prize at the end of a long, hard journey.  This month, my teacher told me that she was taking a quick trip to Japan and that she could mail in my work to the school while she was there.  I had missed a lot of classes in the last few months, and I think my teacher was trying to motivate me to move forward.  I spent a couple of weeks furiously writing and re-writing the work that was required.  I ended up with piles and piles of rejected papers on the floor. If it’s not perfect, it can be sent back for rework. My fun, calming, meditative hobby became frustrating and stressful. Sometimes, I notice that as I keep rewriting, it gets even worse!

As I sat there debating on whether I should keep trying, I reminded myself of the true meaning of Shodan. The kanji characters for Shodan literally means “beginning rank”.  The “Black Belt” that I was seeking is really just the beginning. It’s not the prize at the end; it’s the start of a longer journey filled with opportunities to learn new skills and to advance my craft.  Shodan is where learning begins. Shodan requires you to have an open mind about having your work sent back for rework.  I put my brush down and sent in what I had.

After submitting my work for Shodan, I realized that Shodan is much like Shoshin (beginner’s mind/heart).  The first kanji “Sho” is the same for both Shodan and Shoshin. The second kanji means kokoro or mind and heart. The concept of Shoshin was first introduced in Zen Buddhism and refers to approaching any given subject with the same curiosity and mindset as a beginner, even if you are already at an advanced level. Shunryu Suzuki, a famous Zen monk said, “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” As I reflect on my recent work that I have submitted, I look forward to my journey of possibilities if and when I receive my Shodan ranking.

In Gassho,

Ann Nakahira